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Published on: January 20, 2023
Abusive head trauma in young children: a population-based study.
Anbesaw W Selassie1, Keith Borg, Carrie Busch
1Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Pediatric Emergency Care
|February 22, 2013
Summary
Abusive head trauma (AHT) incidence in children under 5 is underestimated without emergency department data. Intracranial bleeding is a key indicator for identifying AHT cases and improving surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Forensic Medicine
Background:
- Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a significant cause of injury in young children.
- Accurate incidence data is crucial for effective public health surveillance and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the population-based incidence of AHT in children aged 0–5 years.
- To identify risk characteristics associated with AHT to aid in recognizing high-risk children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of children aged 0–5 with head trauma (HT) encounters (2000-2010).
- Analysis included inpatient and emergency department (ED) data.
- Cox hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier methods were used to analyze clinical markers and survival time.
Main Results:
- 502 of 26,681 (1.8%) HT cases were attributed to AHT; 42.4% were identified in the ED.
- Incidence rates ranged from 28.9 per 100,000 in infants to 4.1 per 100,000 in 5-year-olds.
- Intracranial bleeding (HR 20.3) and retinal hemorrhage (HR 11.4) were significant indicators of AHT.
Conclusions:
- ED data is essential for comprehensive AHT incidence estimation.
- Intracranial bleeding is a critical clinical marker for AHT case ascertainment and surveillance.
